The Fourth of July depends on royalty

It’s ironic that Wrangell’s Fourth of July depends on the money raised by royalty candidates who sell raffle tickets, lunches, baked goods and a lot more so that the community can enjoy fireworks, street games and other events packed into several days of fun.

Ironic because the holiday celebrates the Declaration of Independence, when the colonies told England that Americans did not need royalty to throw a tea party.

Wrangell, however, needs all the help it can get from the annual royalty fundraising competition, and the royalty candidates need all the help they can get from the community. The chamber of commerce has embarked on its annual quest for a few young residents willing to spend the entire month of June raising money for the holiday celebration. In exchange, the royalty candidates get a cut of the ticket sales. Those candidates will need the town to help with the work — and it is a lot of work.

Tens of thousands of dollars for the town’s Fourth of July don’t just fall into the harbor like so much tea.

-- Wrangell Sentinel